Echoing Cave
by Sarcastic Alphabet
Summary: The other three clans are threatening to change the boundaries set down by Starclan. Rainpaw is desperate to prove herself for her clan. Can she realize what is best for all the clans before their fate is changed by the paws of an apprentice?
1. Alliances

**Meadowclan**

**Leader**- Birchstar- Cedarpaw

**Deputy**- Mosspelt

**Warriors**-

Icetalon- Rainpaw

Skycloud- Pinepaw

Mistfur

Reedclaw- Mousepaw

Nightflower- Shadepaw

Fernwind

Dawnwhisker

**Apprentices**-

Cedarpaw

Rainpaw

Pinepaw

Shadepaw

Mousepaw

Willowpaw

**Medicine cat**- Silvershadow- Willowpaw

**Queens**-

Ripplepool

**Leopardclan**

**Leader**- Rushstar- Barkpaw

**Deputy**- Owlfeather

**Warriors**-

Crowfur- Nightpaw

Brightwhisker- Thrushpaw

Icetail

**Apprentices**-

Barkpaw

Nightpaw

Thrushpaw

Eaglepaw

**Medicine cat**- Smoketail- Eaglepaw

**Queens**-

Whitepelt

Featherpelt

Brookeyes

**Rainclan**

**Leader**- Sootstar- Mudpaw

**Deputy**- Hollypelt- Spottedpaw

**Warriors**-

Windtail- Whiskerpaw

Nighttalon- Leopardpaw

Goldensun- Redpaw

**Apprentices**- Mudpaw

Spottedpaw

Whiskerpaw

Leopardpaw

Redpaw

Tigerpaw

**Medicine cat**- Rainclaw- Tigerpaw

**Queens**-

Whiteflower

**Nightclan**

**Leader**- Ashstar

**Deputy**- Bluesky- Talonpaw

**Warriors**-

Sootstorm- Russetpaw

Shadowpelt

Lionbelly- Stonepaw

**Apprentices**-

Talonpaw

Russetpaw

Stonepaw

Silverpaw

**Medicine cat**- Tigerfur- Silverpaw

**Queens**-

Poppytail


	2. What the cats look like

Cat Pelts

**Meadowclan**

**Birchstar**- dark brown tabby tom

**Mosspelt**- orange and white calico she-cat

**Icetalon**- pure white tom with blue eyes

**Skycloud**- white she-cat with light grey paws

**Mistfur**- light grey she-cat

**Reedclaw**- golden brown tom

**Nightflower**- pure black she-cat

**Fernwind**- golden tabby she-cat

**Dawnwhisker**- grey she-cat with white flecks

**Cedarpaw**- brown tabby tom with black paws

**Rainpaw**- golden brown tabby she-cat

**Pinepaw**- light brown tom with green eyes

**Shadepaw**- dark grey tom

**Mousepaw**- brownish grey tom

**Willowpaw**- golden she-cat with amber eyes

**Silvershadow**- dark grey she-cat

**Ripplepool**- black and brown tortoiseshell she-cat

**Leopardclan**

Rushstar

Owlfeather

Crowfur

Brightwhisker

Icetail

Barkpaw

Nightpaw

Thrushpaw

Eaglepaw

Smoketail

Whitepelt

Featherpelt

Brookeyes

**Rainclan**

Sootstar

Hollypelt

Windtail

Nighttalon

Goldensun

Mudpaw

**Spottedpaw**- light and dark brown tortoiseshell she-cat

Whiskerpaw

Leopardpaw

Redpaw

Tigerpaw

Rainclaw

Whiteflower

**Nightclan**

Ashstar

Bluesky

Sootstorm

Shadowpelt

Lionbelly

**Talonpaw**- dark grey tom

Russetpaw

Stonepaw

Silverpaw

Tigerfur

Poppytail


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Icetalon paused, as he smelled mouse. He spotted the small creature nibbling on a seed a few tail-lengths away he fell into the hunter's crouch and slowly started to creep forward. He tensed his muscles and was about to leap when an alarm call went off.

He hissed in disbelief as Rainpaw ran past chasing a blackbird. The mouse sat up and ran back to its hole. Icetalon jumped too late and his paws slammed down a whicker away from the mouse's disappearing tail. He growled at his long-gone catch.

A rustling in the bushed announced Rainpaw's return. Her tail drooped and her head was down. Icetalon looked at his apprentice and softened his gaze. "I didn't catch it," she said un-necessarily.

"Cheer up!" said Icetalon, "you caught that vole earlier. It was a speedy one; even I wouldn't have be able to get it."

It worked. Rainpaw's teasing attitude came back and she said, "It was pretty hard. I bet Pinepaw didn't get any prey as quick as that." Icetalon ignored the way she boasted about how much better she was than her brother; she was always taunting him. 

"Let's pick up the rest of our catch and head back to camp," suggested Icetalon. Rainpaw opened her mouth to protest, and then shut it again when she remembered that Icetalon was her mentor. She ran ahead to where they had buried their fresh-kill earlier. She pawed away the dirt to uncover a chaffinch, a vole, and a bushy-tailed squirrel. 

She grabbed the vole in her jaws and slowly started padding back to camp, going slow enough for Icetalon to catch up. He picked up the chaffinch and the squirrel, and then raced past her on the way to the tunnel. He shot into it, hearing Rainpaw's echoing pawsteps following him close behind. 

When they reached a fork in the tunnel, they went right. Rainpaw could smell her friend Shadepaw changing their leader's bedding. They came out into an open cave. Icetalon dropped the fresh-kill with the rest on top of a flat boulder in the middle of the clearing. Rainpaw raced over to Pinepaw sleeping in the cave that made up the apprentice den. 

"Wake up, Pinepaw!" she prodded him with one paw. 

"What's going on?" he asked, still determined to have his eyes closed. 

"This is what's going on!" with a loud battle cry that echoed in her ears, she sprang on her brother. She grabbed his throat lightly in her mouth and pummeled his belly with her hind paws, her claws carefully sheathed. He let out a surprised yowl and raked the tips of his claws over her shoulder. She let go of him and they rolled over out of the den into the clearing. He easily pinned her down, being the oldest apprentice, and cuffed her lightly over the ear. 

"Enough. Now what did you wake me for?" she walked back over to where she had dropped the vole and nudged it towards her brother with one paw. Pinepaw sniffed it approvingly, "it looks life a good meal. Is it for me?" 

"We can share it," replied Rainpaw with a purr, "it should be good because of what it cost me to catch it. I didn't even need Icetalon's help!" 

"Good job!" he meowed, giving her a lick over the scratch he gave her moments before. They crouched down and finished off the vole together. Then they lay together, grooming each other's fur. 

They looked up as Birchstar walked out of his den and jumped onto a pile of rocks. "Gather, Meadowclan! Come to hear what I have to say!" the call brought out the rest of the clan. 

Mousepaw walked out of the tunnel with her mentor, Reedclaw and Shadepaw. Rainpaw saw Silvershadow and Willowpaw, the medicine cat and her apprentice, walk out of their den smelling of herbs. Icetalon settled down beside Ripplepool, his mate. 

Pinepaw scrambled up and gave himself a quick lick to settle down his check fur that had stood up from his excitement. Rainpaw gave him a flick of her to tail to reassure him. It was his warrior ceremony today. Pinepaw was the oldest apprentice and had well earned his warrior name. 

He was the only kit from Fernwind's first litter. Rainpaw had been born with a second brother, but he had died of greencough as a kit. 

She sad down next to Reedclaw and gave her father a glance. He looked ready to burst with pride that his first kit was finally becoming a warrior. 

Dawnwhisker appeared out of the tunnel with the rest of her patrol, Nightflower and Mosspelt the deputy. They placed their fresh-kill on the boulder then came to sit by Fernwind. Skycloud emerged from the tunnel leading to the warrior's den, shining from well-groomed fur. Pinepaw went over to sit by his mentor. 

"Skycloud, do you agree that Pinepaw is ready to become a warrior?" asked Birchstar. 

"I think that he is completely ready," came the reply. Pinepaw tried to hide his embarrassment by looking at his paws. 

"Starclan, I wish for you to look down apon this apprentice. He has trained hard, and is now ready to become a warrior. Pinepaw," Rainpaw's brother looked up and looked at Birchstar as he went on, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan even at the cost of your life?" 

Pinepaw answered promptly without any hesitation, "I do." 

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I grant you your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Pinetail." He jumped off the boulder and placed his muzzle between Pinetail's ears. In return, Pinetail gave his shoulder a respectful lick. 

"Pinetail! Pinetail!" the crown of cats called his new name. 

"Pinetail!" Rainpaw mewed happily as she touched noses with her brother, "great name!" Pinetail nodded, as if he was too happy to speak. 

"According to our ancient traditions, you must guard the camp in silent vigil." Birchstar said to Pinetail. He blinked in acknowledgment and settled down outside the tunnel entrance. Rainpaw flicked her tail across his shoulder saying, "now we all get a good night's sleep!" but she knew how excited her brother was to finally become a warrior. 

She padded over to the apprentice den and curled up in her nest of feathers, moss, and grass. _This had been a good day_, she thought as she drifted off into sleep.

When Rainpaw awoke, she could see Pinetail sitting just outside the tunnel. She felt colder in the den without her brother, so she snuggled up to Shadepaw. She could see Fernwind talking to Dawnshisker. She got up and padded out of the den, keeping her head lowered respectfully as she passed them into the warrior den. Poking her head just inside, she could spot Icetalon's pure white fur easily in the darkness. "Icetalon?" she called softly, not wanting to wake the others. He lifted his head and blinked to put her in focus.

"Coming," he said. She backed out of the tunnel to see Mousepaw and Reedclaw leaving the camp and Pinetail getting up and stretching. "I thought we could do some battle training today," came the voice of her mentor as he strolled out of the den, "with the Twolegs so close to Nightclan's land, they're sure to insist on expanding their territory. There might be a battle, so I'll want you ready. Why don't you pick another apprentice to go with us? I'm sure any mentor would like a break."

Rainpaw went back to the apprentice den hoping to se Shadepaw, but only Cedarpaw was left in the den. She glanced quickly around the camp to see him leaving with Nightflower. She tried to hide her disappointment as she asked Cedarpaw, "do you want to come practice hunting moves with us?"

"Sure!" he answered enthusiastically. They walked back to Icetalon ho was enjoying a pigeon by the freshkill pile.

"We'll feed the elders first, then you two can eat," said Icetalon. He finished his meal, and then signaled for Birchstar to come over. "I'm going to take Cedarpaw out training with Rainpaw. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course. He needs some training, but I haven't been able to spend time with him lately."

Rainpaw picked two mice while Cedarpaw grabbed a water vole. They padded across the clearing to where the elders had their den by the nursery. She could see Smudgepelt sharing tongues with Firebird. She waited for Smudgepelt to finish what she was saying before she dropped the freshkill in front of the two elders. Cedarpaw went farther into the den to sit next to Torntail and nudge the water vole next to the elder. Once the elders had started to eat their prey, the two apprentices left to race back where Icetalon was waiting by the tunnel.

Rainpaw's pawsteps echoed loudly in the tunnel, but she was too excited to even notice. They burst out into the grass clearing that surrounded the entrance to the camp. They ran past trees and ferns until they came to the training clearing. The ground was level there so it was perfect to practice fighting moves in. there were no leaves to skid on or bumps to trip over. They spread out. Icetalon started by showing them how to trip their enemies.

"When they jump at you, catch and trip their forepaws with yours," he instructed. He demonstrated it for them once using Rainpaw, then watched them try it on each other. He had to correct them a lot, because it was a hard move they had never seen before, "not like that. Do _this_ instead." "Pretty good, but you're using too much force. Try doing it with your weight on your haunches."

Once they had mastered the move, Icetalon taught them another one. By the end of the day, they were bruised and sore. They hunted on the way back. Icetalon looked very pleased with them both. As they walked into camp, everything was peaceful. The elders were sharing tongues together. Mousepaw was dropping off more freshkill.

Rainpaw saw Shadepaw carrying the used bedding for the elders in his jaws. She dashed over to him, "Shadepaw! Icetalon said that I could train with another apprentice today. I wanted you to come, but you had already left," she cocked her head to one side, "why didn't you wait for me? We always do things together."

He didn't meet her gaze as he said, "you know Nightflower. If I had made her wait, se would have had my tail off. I didn't have time.

_He's lying to me!_ She thought. _Why would he lie to me?_ "Oh," she replied, "well we can train together next time." She waited for his reaction.

He looked uncertain, "maybe." He picked up the moss again and walked past her out of the camp. She stared at him in dismay. Rainpaw knew that something was troubling him, but couldn't figure it out. She felt a pelt brush against here; Cedarpaw had walked up to her while she was thinking.

"Are you alright? You look like a rabbit that's been dead for a moon."

She looked up at him to see his eyes sparkling in concern. She looked away, "I'm fine."

He must have heard the tremor in her voice, because he said, "What is it? You can tell me!" she shook her head in confusion. He gave her ears a few licks. She flinched away.

_Why wasn't Shadepaw close to her like this anymore?_

"What's wrong?"

"It's Shadepaw," she said at last, "he's ignoring me! I don't even know what I did!"

At Shadepaw's name, Cederpaw's eyes turned hard, "you didn't do anything. Shadepaw's just worried that he's not going to be a warrior the same time as the rest of us." He sounded strange, like the words had been forced out.

She looked at him. _What did he have against Shadepaw?_ She noticed how he had taken a step back so that his fur wasn't touching hers.

"I have to go. I think Birchstar is calling me." He whisked away before she could say anything. Birchstar was having a friendly conversation with Smudgepelt, but as far she Rainpaw could see, her leader hadn't wanted Cederpaw's attention. He looked surprised when the apprentice walked up and lowered his head respectfully.

She watched as he walked back into the apprentice den after stopping to take a sparrow from the freshkill pile. _Now what had she done?_ The scramble of heavy paws announced the hunting patrol. Mosspelt, Fernwind, and Skycloud raced into the clearing, but not before Rainpaw had smelled fresh blood. Birchstar looked up in alarm as they ran towards him. Fernwind was limping from a wound on her shoulder, but she was on all four legs. Skycloud looked worst of all with her grey and white fur smudged with blood and torn out in places. She noticed a whole section on her hindquarters where the fur had been torn off entirely.

"What did this to you?" demanded Birchstar as the rest of the clan gathered around the injured warriors.

Skycloud lay down, panting. Silvershadow ran over with a bundle of herbs in her jaws. She started chewing up leaves and putting the pulp on the raw patch. Mosspelt, who was covered in minor scratches, opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Skycloud let out a moan, "Badger!" she gasped in pain and closed her eyes.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The clan exchanged worried looks and Ripplepool let out a yowl of fear. Rainpaw however, didn't flatten her ears and stretch her eyes wide like Cedarpaw did. "Badger?" she repeated, confused.

Icetalon looked at her and explained, "A badger could kill any cat with a swipe of the paw. It's a huge creature that kills just because it can. Many cats have been killed by a badger before."

Rainpaw nodded, her heart pounding. _What would Birchstar do?_

"Meadowclan, gather!" he yowled. Most of the clan was already present, but Pinetail padded out of the warrior den and the elders stretched and walked towards their leader. "Mosspelt's hunting patrol has told me about a badger on our territory!" looking at the she-cat, he asked gently, "Will you tell me what happened?"

She nodded and padded over to the base of the boulder before she sat down, "we were hunting near the Great Cedar. I had just left to chase after a squirrel when I heard snarling. So I ran back to the others. The badger had made its set by the tree's roots. Skycloud was already badly hurt, and Fernwind is getting close to kitting, so re retreated."

Rainpaw looked at her mother in surprise. _I didn't know she was expecting kits!_

"Is the badger still there?" asked Birchstar.

"Yes. We couldn't chase it off," Mosspelt answered, her head hung in defeat.

"You did your best," said Birchstar kindly, laying his tail on her shoulder. "I will lead an attack patrol. Mosspelt, are you well enough to come with me?"

"Yes," she said and raised her head.

"Then I'll take you and Reedclaw." The warriors stood up and waited for him by the entrance. "Dawnwhisker, you're in charge while we're gone." The brown calico nodded at her leader. Birchstar ran over to the rest of his patrol. Rainpaw felt a pang of disappointment. She was hoping she could go.

"Aren't you going to take any apprentices?" she asked. 

Birchstar looked over at her and his eyes softened, "Mosspelt, it wouldn't hurt for you to stay here. Icetalon, you come instead and bring Rainpaw." Mosspelt left the patrol with no signs of hostility and went into the medicine cat den to wait for Silvershadow.

Rainpaw padded over to where her mentor was waiting with the patrol. He looked down at her as they set off at a fast pace, "remember to do exactly as I tell you to. If I tell you to go back, you have to obey me."

She nodded to show she understood. However, Rainpaw was barely listening to the fighting tactics Icetalon was telling her. She was much too excited to pay attention. This would be her first battle! Even if all she was fighting was a badger, this is her first change to protect her clan.

She left over a fallen tree and almost ran into her mentor. Icetalon whispered, "Shhh! We're getting close." Birchstar motioned for them to creep forward quietly. Rainpaw peered through the ferns and saw the badger. The black creature with white markings on its head was larger than she expected. It was digging under the floor of dead leaves, looking for grubs.

Birchstar sprang out of the bushes, the patrol hard on his heels, and let out a battle cry. The badger looked up at him and let out a challenging snarl. It stood up, revealing how tall it was. Rainpaw could see the fresh wounds the earlier patrol had given it.

The badger lashed out at Reedclaw, who was trying to approach it. Birchstar had already clung onto its back and was swiping at its ears. Icetalon raced up to the badger, who was still busy with Reedclaw. He clawed at the badger's face, making it be blinded by the blood trickling into its eyes. It roared and stumbled around the clearing.

Rainpaw dodged its trampling paws to bite down at its tail. The badger reached around and hit her hard with a paw. She staggered and saw stars. She shook her head to clear it before racing back to help. She saw Birchstar biting on the badger's ear until he too was thrown off. She saw Reedclaw running around the badger until it was spinning in circles.

Rainpaw couldn't see her mentor. Then she noticed him lying on the ground behind the badger. Confused and dizzy, the badger stepped back before Rainpaw could reach Icetalon. With a sickening crunch of bones, the badger stepped on him. Filled with rage, Rainpaw battered its hindquarters until it gave up. The badger aimed one last swipe at Reedclaw before ambling off into the bushes.

Rainpaw raced to her mentor lying on the ground. One leg was hanging out at a weird angle and she could see where some ribs had cracked. _Was Icetalon alive?_ She wondered desperately if he would be all right. "Birchstar!" she yowled to her leader. He ran towards her, limping from a torn and bleeding claw.

He nosed Icetalon then told her, "Get back to camp and fetch Silvershadow. Quickly!"

She turned and raced away into the undergrowth, hardly noticing anything around her until a log loomed in front of her. She let out a cry of surprise as she hit it head on. Her head ached, and she crumpled to the ground. She was willing to lie there forever until she remembered the state Icetalon was in.

Rainpaw forced herself up and continued running, even though her throbbing head was telling her to stop. Finally, she saw the tunnel entrance. She raced through it into the clearing. "Silvershadow!" she yelled.

The dark grey cat scrambled out of her den, "Rainpaw! Is it the badger? Who's hurt?"

Rainpaw was so tired out from her run back that all that she could say was, "Badger stepped on him." She collapsed on the ground. "Icetalon". Once she had fulfilled her mission, all the pain she had been holding back flooded her mind and she fainted.

When Rainpaw awoke, she was in the den for sick or injured cats. She tried to get up, but a blast of pain in her head made her lower it back to the ground. She glanced over at the shape beside her. Her heart gave a jolt. It was Icetalon.

Only it didn't look like him. Reed and cobwebs covered him almost completely. Sticks and rushes held his limbs in place. She closed her eyes, and tried not to think about all the pain he must be in. "Silvershadow?" she called.

She heard pawsteps, and then the medicine cat appeared. "Good, you're awake. How does your head feel?"

Rainpaw tried to look up at Silvershadow, but it hurt too much. "Painful," she replied, "How's Icetalon?"

Silvershadow's face darkened, "I can't say yet. So far, he's been recovering."

Rainpaw rested her head on her paws, "what happened?"

"You mean after you fainted?" Rainpaw nodded, "Well, Mosspelt immediately set out with Dawnwhisker and me. We met Reedclaw halfway. He went back to camp to have Willowpaw check him over. When we got there, Birchstar was sitting by Icetalon. I bandaged him up as well as I could, then we made our way back to camp."

The medicine cat looked sadly at the white warrior, "I'm not sure how he will heal. One leg was broken. I set it in a cast of rushes and sticks to keep it from moving while it mends. I'm sure his leg will be fine. As for the scratches, that's nothing. It's his back and ribs I'm worried about. I didn't my best fixing his ribs, but I haven't had experience with that. His spine didn't break, thank Starclan. It is very tender, because of the three broken ribs. It should be fine, but it's very fragile now. He is in the paws of Starclan." Silvershadow finished, and was quiet with her head bowed. 

Rainpaw looked at her mentor. She could see him breathing steadily, which is a good sign. His paw twitched, as if he was catching a mouse. _Maybe in his dream, he is. _"What about me?" asked Rainpaw.

"You? You just had a concussion. Willowpaw gave you a goldenrod poultice along with some poppy seeds. Are you hungry yet?"

Rainpaw nodded; she had just realized how much her stomach was growling. Silvershadow left the den. Rainpaw stretched slowly and sat up. She started grooming her fur and smoothing down the places that were standing up. Silvershadow came back with a rabbit in her jaws.

Rainpaw looked up from her washing and nodded her thanks to Silvershadow as the medicine cat dropped the prey at her paws. Rainpaw crouched down and finished the rabbit in a few gulps. Satisfied, she curled down and went to sleep.

When Rainpaw blinked open her eyes the next day, the first thing she saw was Icetalon awake and eating a chaffinch. "Icetalon!" she mewed joyfully. Her mentor turned to look at her, his eyes clear of pain.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Me? I'm fine! It's you I'm worried about!"

"Don't worry about me. I'm going to be fine. Silvershadow said that I just couldn't do any training for a moon once I'm better. Some other cat will mentor you for the time being," said Icetalon.

"But you'll still be _my_ mentor, right?" asked Rainpaw fearfully.

"Yes. They're just going to help you train, but you'll always be my apprentice."

Silvershadow came into the den with more herbs in her mouth. "Are those for me? They look yucky!" asked Rainpaw.

"No," replied Silvershadow, "they're for Icetalon. You're all better. You can go back to the apprentice den now. Just be careful and take it slow."

"Thank you, Silvershadow!" Rainpaw said. She touched noses with Icetalon, and then left the den. She padded out into the clearing to see Birchstar talking with Mosspelt on the boulder. She walked over to them.

"Good, you're awake," said Birchstar.

"Yep! Silvershadow let me out."

"We were talking about who will help you train until Icetalon is better. Mosspelt said she is willing to be your temporary mentor," Birchstar announced.

_ I'm lucky. Mosspelt should be a great mentor._

"Rainpaw!" she turned around to see Cedarpaw bounding towards her, "you're all better!" he rubbed his head along her flank.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said distractedly, "Have you seen Shadepaw?"

He backed away from her, his eyes narrowing, "fine. Spend all your time with Shadepaw. I don't care." He turned and raced away just as Shadepaw came out of the tunnel with freshkill in his mouth. Cedarpaw flattened his ears and hissed at Shadepaw as he passed. 

Rainpaw went over to him, hoping their last encounter would have been forgotten, "Hi, Shadepaw! Good catch," she nodded towards the squired he had dropped.

"Thanks," he replied, "what's up with Cedarpaw?"

"I don't know. He's been in a foul mood since Pinetail's warrior ceremony. I don't know what's gotten into him," she said.

Shadepaw shrugged, "oh well. He'll come around." He picked up his prey and walked past her to the freshkill pile.

Rainpaw felt upset about the way the other apprentices had been treating her lately. She didn't know what to do. It seemed like all her friendships were disappearing like mist in sunshine.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Rainpaw shook her head. It was mousebrained of her to be distracted by something as foolish as friendships. She padded over to Mosspelt who was taking a mouse from the freshkill pile. "Are we going to do any training today?" she asked.

Mosspelt took a bite and chewed it before answering, "We're going to be on border patrol. Nightflower is leading it," she finished her mouse then got up, "let's see if she's ready to go." She got up and gave her chest fur a couple of licks.

They walked over to where Nightflower was talking to Skycloud. "We should check the border with Nightclan. The Twolegs are expanding their territory, so we might find Nightclan warriors on our land." Skycloud nodded her agreement.

"Hi, Nightflower," greeted Rainpaw, "who else is coming with us?"

"Skycloud, Shadepaw, and Cedarpaw," she replied.

_Great! Why do those two have to do everything with me? All they ever do is bicker with each other! _"Sound's good!" Rainpaw lied.

"All cats able to catch their own prey gather underneath the boulder for a clan meeting!" Birchstar's call brought all the cats to the base of the boulder. Rainpaw settled down next to Shadepaw. She noticed Cedarpaw looking at her with a longing in his eyes, but she tried to ignore it.

"I bring great news!" Birchstar started, "Ripplepool has given birth to three healthy kits!" Yowls of congratulations came from the crowd of cats below him, "They are named Talonkit, Windkit, and Wavekit.

"Nightflower is leading border patrol. Mosspelt, Skycloud, Rainpaw, Shadepaw, and Cedarpaw are going with him," There were a few surprised murmurs at the size of the patrol. Usually patrols consisted of three or four cats, "Reedclaw, will you lead hunting patrol?" the dark brown tom nodded, "Take Pinetail and Mousepaw with you. That is all." Birchstar jumped down from the boulder to talk with Mistfur.

"Can we see Ripplepool's kits before we leave?" asked Rainpaw.

"Sure," replied Nightflower. The patrol padded over to the nursery entrance.

"Why don't you and Shadepaw go in first," suggested Mosspelt, "then the rest of us can go in pairs. It would be two crowded for all six of us to be in there at once." The other cats nodded at her suggestion, but Cedarpaw bristled with silent fury as Rainpaw walked away from the group with Shadepaw.

Rainpaw was angry with Cedarpaw for caring who she spent time with. _I'll annoy him, and see how he likes it!_ She purposely nuzzled Shadepaw to see Cedarpaw's reaction. She turned around to see him hurling him at Shadepaw. Shadepaw went down under a bundle of grey fur. The two toms tussled in the dirt until Mosspelt swooped in. she pawed Cedarpaw away from Shadepaw.

"What has gotten into you?" Mosspelt's voice was filled with anger. Cedarpaw looked at his paws, ashamed to meet the deputy's gaze.

"Sorry, Mosspelt," he mumbled.

"I should think so!" Rainpaw looked at Shadepaw to see him looking at Cedarpaw with a cold look in his eyes.

"Come on, Rainpaw. Let's go see the kits," he said. Rainpaw walked over to him and licked the drying blood from around the wound on his ear. They padded into the tunnel leading to the nursery. When they walked into the den, Rainpaw could smell milk sent.

She looked down at Ripplepool, who was lying down in a corner of the den. She had curved her body around the suckling kits. "Hello Shadepaw and Rainpaw," greeted Ripplepool drowsily, "have you come to see the kits?" they nodded, "this one is Talonkit." She pointed to a pure white tom with her tail. Talonkit looked exactly like Icetalon.

_He's probably named after his father._

"Windkit is the lighter grey kit," continued Ripplepool. Windkit looked similar to her mother, and had the white star on her forehead as well, "and Wavekit is the smallest of them all." Ripplepool pointed to a blue-grey kit suckling between her brother and sister."

"They're beautiful!" exclaimed Rainpaw.

"Yes. They will be great warriors someday," commented Shadepaw. Ripplepool started licking her kits, so they left her in peace. They waited outside while the rest of the patrol went in to admire the newest members of Meadowclan.

"The kits are going to be good for the clan. We haven't had any kits in a while," said Rainpaw.

"Yes…" said Shadepaw quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Shadepaw said too quickly. He looked at his paws, "well… is there something between you and Cedarpaw?" he asked quickly, not meeting her gaze.

"Cedarpaw? No! We're just friends!" replied Rainpaw, very shocked.

"Oh," said Shadepaw, "well, I just thought…" he trailed off.

"He's not special to me. Not like you," said Rainpaw.

"Do you mean-?"

Rainpaw gave him a couple of licks between the ears. "I wouldn't mind having kits. They seem lovely."

Shadepaw gazed at her, his eyes full of love, "I wouldn't mind either." They jumped as the last few cats came out of the den.

"Let's go!" said Nightflower. Cedarpaw pushed between Rainpaw and Shadepaw, walking away with her. Shadepaw looked at her in concern, but Rainpaw gave him a look that said _it's okay. You know he's not you._ Shadepaw nodded as if he understood.

The patrol walked out of the camp towards the border with Nightclan. They didn't talk the way there, but Rainpaw guessed that they wanted to see if Nightclan had made any attempts to steal their territory. Rainpaw had walked with Cedarpaw most of the way, but now she padded side by side with Shadepaw, her pelt touching his.

Rainpaw smelled the markers close by, but they were nowhere near the border. "Why are the markers so close?" she asked.

"We were right! Nightclan has moved the border!" meowed Nightflower. They bounded to where a Nightclan patrol had marked a dead tree. Rainpaw could see the true border a long way away.

"How dare them!" said Shadepaw, "what are we going to do?"

"For now, we will remark the border. The gathering is tomorrow night. Birchstar will probably confront Ashstar then," replied Mosspelt. She then sprayed the dead tree with her own mark to signify that it belonged to Meadowclan. Rainpaw and Shadepaw went farther along the fake border to mark it their own. Nightflower and Skycloud went with Cedarpaw to mark the correct border.

Once they were done, the patrol walked the whole border to make sure that everything was as it should be. Afterwards, the patrol hunted on their way back to the camp. Rainpaw was pleased to find that Shadepaw had caught a rabbit that had escaped Cedarpaw's grasp. She was also happy with her own catch of a mouse and a shrew.

The border patrol made its way into the camp. Rainpaw and Shadepaw deposited their catches, and then grabbed a piece of prey for themselves. They settled down to eat outside the apprentice den.

"Do you think that Nightclan will try to take back that piece of land?" asked Rainpaw.

Shadepaw gave her a look, "I thought that you might have wanted to talk about something else," when Rainpaw looked at him, confused, he said, "about us."

"Oh, that," said Rainpaw. She felt embarrassed to admit her feeling towards the dark grey tom.

"Don't you feel the same way about me as I do you?" asked Shadepaw, looking hurt.

"Of course!"

"Then why don't you want to talk about it? About the kits."

"What kits?" asked Rainpaw

"Our kits. Our future kits."

"I don't think I'm ready for that!"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," murmured Shadepaw, pressing his body close to hers. When their pelts touched, Rainpaw felt something stir inside of her.

_I do want kits!_ It was astonishing to realize that she was ready for a commitment. "But we're only apprentices!" she tried to protest.

Shadepaw licked her fur, his tongue soothing her. "I understand." Rainpaw looked up at the sound of pawsteps to see the hunting patrol returning, laden with prey. Mousepaw deposited a large falcon, his head held high about his catch.

"All cats able to catch their own prey, gather under the boulder for a clan meeting!"

"What could he want this time?" wondered Rainpaw aloud.

"I think it's Mousepaw's warrior ceremony. He's been hinting it for a couple days now," replied Shadepaw.

_Of course! He became an apprentice the same day Pinetail did! He's probably been looking forward to it ever since Pinetail was made a warrior!_

Once the clan settled down, Birchstar began, "I called you here today for one of my favorite duties. It is time Mousepaw was made a warrior. Starclan, I wish for you to look down apon this apprentice. He has trained hard, and is now ready to become a warrior. Mousepaw do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," replied Mousepaw.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I grant you your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Mousetail." Birchstar jumped off the boulder to place his muzzle between Mousetail's ears. Mousetail gave his shoulder a respectful lick.

"Mousetail! Mousetail!" called the clan. Rainpaw noticed that Pinetail called loudest of all, clearly pleased that his den mate had been made a warrior.

"According to the ancient traditions set down by our ancestors, you must guard the camp in silent vigil." Birchstar said to Mousetail. He nodded, obviously not wanting to speak his acknowledgment. He walked over to the tunnel to guard it.

"Come on," said Shadepaw. He lead her over to Mousetail, "we're just going out for a hunt." Mousetail nodded, gesturing with his tail for them to continue.

"Where are we going?" asked Rainpaw.

"I don't know. I just wanted to get away with you." His reply sent shivers down Rainpaw's back. She was happy that they were alone.

They walked out into the meadow. "Why don't we sleep here, underneath the stars?" suggested Rainpaw.

"Good idea," said Shadepaw. They settled down, making a nest together in the tall grass. He curled his tail around her neck, pulling her closer, "I really like you, Rainpaw."

Rainpaw couldn't speak for happiness, realizing that she felt the same way for him. She could see that Shadepaw understood. She gazed up at the stars above her, silently thanking Starclan for this moment.

The next morning, Rainpaw awoke to see Shadepaw sleeping next to her. She woke him up gently with a lick on the cheek. He woke up saying, "we better catch some freshkill for an excuse for being out so early. Do you think Mousetail will remember us going out last night?"

"Mousetail trained with us. He won't give us away. Besides, there's nothing wrong with going out to hunt," she added with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

They set off into the woods. Rainpaw soon tracked down a vole. She crouched down and wriggled her haunches. Waiting for the right moment, she sprang and quickly dispatched it with a nip to the neck. She picked up the warm body and turned around to see Shadepaw pouncing on a squirrel.

"Good catch!" she said. He picked up his catch, and then they walked back into the camp. Not many cats were up, but Mousetail was taking a mouse from the freshkill pile. He didn't say anything as they walked up, though he nodded knowingly at them as they dropped their prey into the pile.

"Do you want to go hunting again?" asked Shadepaw.

"In a moment. I want to go see Icetalon first." Rainpaw walked into his den. Icetalon was looking much better. The cast on his broken leg was off, but he wasn't putting pressure on it. All his scratches were healing well. Only one on his face still was covered in marigold.

"Hi, Rainpaw!" he said, happy to see his apprentice."

"You look much better!" commented Rainpaw "is Silvershadow going to let you out soon?"

"I think so. I recovered much quicker than she thought I would. To be honest with you, I think Starclan was a key part of my recovery. They must not want me to join them any time soon."

Silvershadow walked in. "hello Rainpaw. Icetalon is doing fine. I think that maybe he can go tomorrow." She shook her head in disbelief, "I've never seen a patient heal that quick before!"

"That's great news, Icetalon! I have to go now. I promised Shadepaw that I would go hunting with him," said Rainpaw. She said goodbye to the medicine cat, then padded out of the den.

"There you are!" Rainpaw looked around. It was Cedarpaw. "Do you want to go hunting with me?"

Rainpaw gave him a long, cool look, "since you don't care who I spend time with, there's no point in me going anywhere with you. I'm going hunting with Shadepaw." She turned and scraped dirt at him like she would do to cover her dirt. He hissed at her, but she didn't take any notice. "Come on, Shadepaw."

He pressed his pelt to hers, and they bounded out of the camp filled with high spirits. Once they were away from the camp and far into the forest, he turned to look at her. "You said you weren't ready for kits. But…" he didn't finish and looked at her hopefully.

"It's alright. I think I'm already expecting," she said. Shadepaw looked very happy about that.

"Are they mine?"

"I hope so."

"So do I." he gave her a couple of licks. "I hope we can both go to the gathering tonight. It should be an interesting one."

"What do you think Birchstar is going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know. He wasn't happy when Nightflower told him about them changing the border. He's probably going to ask Ashstar about it and warn him to keep his warriors off our territory."

"You sound like you know him pretty well."

"I do. Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"He's my father."

"Your father?" repeated Rainpaw, astounded. "I didn't know!"

"My mother was a rouge. Birchstar told the clan that he found me in the forest. Mistfur was my faster mother. He never told anyone that he was my father," said Shadepaw.

"I hope that there's a battle. I want to prove myself to the clan."

"You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. They can see that you're going to be a great warrior."

"But I'm not!" protested Rainpaw, "I don't know anything! I don't even understand why we don't just live as one clan!"

"Neither do I. it's just how it works."

"But surely we could live better as one clan!"

"I don't know. It seems like a good idea, but no cat wants to make one clan. It wouldn't work."

"I've got it!" Rainpaw said triumphantly, "I know how I can make a difference in the clan! I'm going to make four clans, one clan!"

"How are you going to do that?" asked Shadepaw. Rainpaw noticed how he didn't abuse her idea, but asked her how she was going to accomplish her goal.

"I don't know. All I know is I'm going to be an important cat in our history! All cats will remember 'Rainpaw, the apprentice who saved the clans!'"


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Shadepaw gave her a lick between the ears. "Of course cats will remember you. Now why don't we hunt?"

"Good idea. Hunting is the best way to pass the day. I hope Birchstar lets us both go!"

"He probably will. We've both been good for the past moon. There's no reason why he wouldn't choose us," said Shadepaw calmly. They walked farther into the forest, until Rainpaw's scent glands were filled with the scent of mouse. She motioned with her tail for Shadepaw to be quiet. He tasted the air, and then nodded towards a holly bush.

Rainpaw could see the small animal crouched beneath it, nibbling at a fallen berry. She crouched down, and crept towards the mouse. When she was close enough, she pounced on it, sending pawfulls of holly berries tumbling down around her. She flicked her ears as one hit her on the head. She felt something moving beneath her paws. The mouse was still alive. She killed it quickly, and then picked it up to pad out of the bush.

"You looked pretty funny in that bush," said Shadepaw.

"Really? I'll show you funny looking," Rainpaw replied, and sprang at him. He fell on his back, putting all four paws in the air to fall onto. He kicked her away, and then pounced after her tumbling body. She fell on the ground, and he landed with one paw on either side of her, pinning her down.

"What were you saying?" he teased.

"Okay, you won. Get off me, you lazy lump of fur!" she lay there in the dirt, looking up at him.

"Are the kits okay?" he asked, looking worried.

"They aren't due for quite some time. I don't think you could have harmed them. All the same, I'm worried about kitting."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because apprentices don't usually give birth so early! How am I going to hide it?"

"Maybe you could pretend to eat a lot of freshkill," He suggested.

"No, the clan wouldn't fall for that. I think that I might have to run away."

"Away from the clans? Away from me?"

"Only for a short while," Rainpaw said.

"When?"

"Not yet, mousebrain!" she flicked his ear with her tail. "Now lets get more freshkill, or Birchstar will never let us go to the gathering!"

Soon Shadepaw had caught a blackbird, and Rainpaw managed to track down a rabbit. Please with their catches, the two apprentices walked back to camp, their pelts brushing. They arrived at the tunnel entrance.

"You go first. That way, nobody will suspect anything," said Rainpaw.

"Good idea." Shadepaw went in carrying his blackbird. After a moment, Rainpaw followed him.

"Good catch!" meowed Mosspelt cheerfully. "Why don't you take that rabbit to the elders. They'll appreciate it." Rainpaw nodded, then went over to the elders' den.

She poked her head inside. Torntail was lying in the middle of the sunbeam that fell through the small hole in the ceiling. Smudgepelt was eating a shrew and talking to Firebird, who was most likely trying to sleep through Smudgepelt's endless chatter.

"Hello, Rainpaw!" said Smudgepelt, pausing in the middle of a sentence. "I was just talking to Firebird here about the time when the four clans were one clan ruled by Silverstar."

Rainpaw pricked her ears. _This is exactly what I'm going to do! I wonder how Silverstar managed it all!_ "Really? What happened?" she asked.

"First, why don't you see if you can tempt Torntail with that rabbit. It looks good and plump." Rainpaw offered her catch to the black elder, but he ignored her. "Oh well," said Smudgepelt. "He might eat it later. Now what was I saying? Oh yes! Silverclan. I might as well start from the beginning.

"There were four clans: Rainclan, Leopardclan, Nightclan, and Meadowclan. Silverstar was Silverheart at the time. She was deputy of Rainclan. She thought that life would be better if all cats lived together in one clan. So she killed her leader and became Silverstar. Then she made friends in the other three clans. They killed their leaders and became leaders themselves. Then Silverstar convinced them to let her lead.

"They formed Silverclan. She chose her most trustworthy can to be deputy. His name was Thornpelt. All would have been well, except for Silverstar didn't care for the young, old, or sick. She left them to die. So all the cats that wanted to have four clans again fought against Silverstar and her followers.

"Silverstar's side lost the battle, and she was killed. Her followers were banished from the forest. Then four cats became leaders. They were Riverstar of Rainclan, Stormstar of Leopardclan, Graystar of Nightclan, and Echostar of Meadowclan. I believe that Birchstar is Echostar's deputy's deputy. Don't you agree, Firebird? Firebird? Ah well, she's asleep again. You probably have some apprentice thing to do. Leave me in peace."

Rainpaw left the den with many thoughts in her head. _Silverclan was bad for all the cats! But I would make it better. I would especially care for the young, old, and sick. I wouldn't let them die!_ She hardly noticed where her paws were taking her until she found herself in the warrior den by Pinetail's side.

"Pinetail!" she woke her brother gently. "Pinetail, can I talk with you?"

"What?" he said groggily, opening his eyes, "what's wrong?"

Rainpaw stared at her paws. "I'm worried about Nightclan."

"Why?"

"Because if there's a battle, I'm afraid that the other apprentices will become warriors without me! Mosspelt doesn't teach me much, and Icetalon's still getting better!"

"There might be a battle, but that's one of the satisfactory duties of being a warrior. All warriors look forward to battles. But Birchstar won't lead us into battle unless it's necessary," he looked at her, "are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"

"Oh Pinetail!" Rainpaw buried her head in his fur and let all her emotions carry her away. She told him about Cedarpaw, and Shadepaw, and the kits she's expecting. She told him everything, until she was empty of secrets. Then she lay down beside him and felt him lick her gently.

"Everything will be fine. Your kits will be very welcome. There's nothing wrong with being young," he comforted her.

"Are you sure? What about Cedarpaw? He treats me like dirt, or just ignores me. I never meant to hurt him. He's my den mate and I've trained with him since I became an apprentice. I just don't feel the same way about him. I love Shadepaw, not Cedarpaw."

"Don't worry about Cedarpaw. He's just sour because of Shadepaw. In the mean time, if he ignores you, ignore him. Don't let him know he's getting under your fur," he gave her a lick, "do you feel better now?"

"Yes, thank you for listening, Pinetail."

"It's getting close to the gathering. Why don't you ask Mosspelt if you can go?" he suggested.

"Good idea," she replied. She left the den feeling much better. _My kits will be very welcome. Pinetail said so._

She saw Mosspelt talking with Dawnwhisker. "Mosspelt?" she asked, "who's going to the gathering tonight?"

"I just asked Birchstar," she replied, "Dawnwhisker, Pinetail, Reedclaw, Silvershadow, you, Shadepaw, and Willowpaw are coming. I'm going to stay here to guard the camp. Birchstar's worried that Nightclan might attack while he's at the gathering."

"You better get some rest before you go," said Dawnwhisker, "will you tell the other apprentices that they're going?"

"Sure," replied Rainpaw, "thanks, Mosspelt!" she bounded over to the apprentice den. Shadepaw was in there.

"You look much better now," he commented.

"Yes, but you should too! We're going to the gathering!"

"That's great!" he butted her flank with his head. "Is Cedarpaw going?"

"Nope!" she said, unable to keep her smugness out of her voice. "And I talked to Pinetail. I told him about us."

"What did he say?"

"He told me not to worry, and that there have been many kits born by young mothers before. So I'm not going to be the first."

"I told you so," he said.

"Dawnwhisker told me to rest before we go. Do you want to share a shrew?"

He nodded, so she got up and fetched them something to eat. They finished of the shrew then spent the rest of the time licking each other and sharing tongues. By the time Birchstar came out of his den to go, they felt very refreshed.

"I feel like I could run forever!" exclaimed Rainpaw.

Reedclaw looked over at her, "this is your second gathering, right?"

"Yes. I'm very excited. I can't wait to hear what Birchstar says to Ashstar!"

"It should be very interesting," agreed Reedclaw, "it's going to be an important gathering. I'm sure all the warriors are begging their leaders to let them go."

"Isn't the only interesting thing Nightclan's aggression towards us?" asked Shadepaw.

"No, don't you remember? Leopardclan's leader gave birth, and Rainclan has been threatening to take some of their land. All the clan's will want to attend this gathering," replied Reedclaw.

They ran in silence the rest of the way. They got to the edge of their territory, and then padded through Nightclan's territory for a while. They crossed over into Rainclan's territory, and then formed a line to walk across the pond on the log to the small island. Reedclaw went, and then it was Rainpaw's turn. She jumped onto the log, and gripped it with her claws. She felt it bounce as Shadepaw jumped on behind her. She walked the length of the log then jumped off onto the sandy shore of the island.

She waited with Reedclaw and Birchstar for the rest of her clan to cross, and then they padded into the center of the clearing. There were many cats there, even more than in Meadowclan alone! _Is it always this crowded?_ Other cats seemed to be thinking the same thing. Last time she went, there definitely hadn't been that many cats.

She looked around and saw a group of apprentices clustered around a rock. She recognized Barkpaw and Nightpaw from Leopardclan. She saw a tortoiseshell she-cat that she thought she remembered seeing before. Then she remembered that it was Spottedpaw of Rainclan. She smelled a Nightclan apprentice, but didn't recognize him.

She walked over to greet them with Shadepaw. "Hi, Rainpaw!" mewed Nightpaw, "who's your friend?" she was eyeing Shadepaw and twitching her tail in excitement.

"I'm Shadepaw," he said, giving me a sidelong glance.

"How's the prey running, Spottedpaw?" asked Rainpaw.

"Good. Have you met Talonpaw before?" she replied, pointing to the dark grey tom. "He's in Nightclan."

"Hi, Talonpaw," she said. "I'm Rainpaw from Meadowclan.

He had turned to look at her as she spoke with a neutral look on his face, but as soon as he discovered what clan she came from, he turned his back on her to talk to Barkpaw.

Rainpaw was about to make a comment about his behavior when a yowl from the leaders quieted the crowd. _So it's true. Nightclan apprentices are always rude._

She looked at the leaders, who were standing on a slanted rock. They stood at the point of it, looking down at the cats below. Rushstar looked at the other three leaders and asked, "may I speak first?" they nodded, so Rushstar stood in front of them. "Leopardclan is doing well. We have three new kits in our camp."

"Yah, hers!" muttered Shadepaw.

"And Smoketail has taken Eaglepaw on as his apprentice." There were meows of congratulations to Eaglepaw. Rainpaw craned her neck to see him sitting beside his new mentor. "However, my warriors have smelled Rainclan patrols inside our territory." There were hisses from both Leopardclan and Rainclan. Spottedpaw turned to flatten her ears at Nightpaw and Barkpaw whom she had been talking to peacefully a moment before.

Sootstar, leader of Rainclan stepped forward, "the river has been flooding from this moon's rain. We are used to it, but Twolegs have been trying to settle on its banks. They take their monsters to make the banks higher. They have already started building another Twoleg place. Almost half of our territory has been destroyed. My need is simple. Leopardclan and Nightclan must give us some of their land."

Ashstar said, "I have already agreed to give Rainclan some of our territory. Meadowclan has plenty of unspoiled territory. So now that our territory is smaller, we need some from Meadowclan."

"Is that why you tried to change the border?" challenged Birchstar.

"Tried? The border has been moved," replied Ashstar, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"We moved the border back to its rightful place," said Birchstar.

"And we moved it to it's new location," said Ashstar. "The land is ours now. Unless you are willing to fight for that little strip of land."

"When? We put it back yesterday. You haven't had time to change it," Birchstar asked, puzzled.

"I do believe that you don't have a patrol set on it right now, do you?" there were gasps from the crowd as they realized what Ashstar had done.

Birchstar bowed his head to Rushstar and Sootstar, "please excuse me. There is business to attend to back at my camp. Do either have you have anything to say?" they shook their heads, "then I must leave. Meadowclan, we're going! The gathering is over!"

"I don't think so," said a silky voice. Ashstar nodded towards the log bridge. Nightclan warriors were stationed at the end, making it so no cat could leave the island.

"How dare you! You can't keep us hear! It goes against the warrior code to fight at a gathering!" Birchstar was outraged.

"But you said yourself. The gathering is over," replied Ashstar, looking smugly at the Meadowclan leader. "Nightclan! Attack!" Leopardclan and Rainclan leapt back to the edge of the clearing as the battle started.

_I had hoped for a battle. Just not one now!_ Rainpaw looked around. Shadepaw was wrestling with a tom twice his size. She raced to his side, and gave the warrior a sharp nip on the shoulder.

"Thanks!" Shadepaw gave her a quick lick before leaping back into battle. Most of the strong warriors were at the end of the log, making it impossible for anyone to try to escape. Rainpaw raced to help Dawnwhisker, who was fighting two Nightclan warriors. Rainpaw charged at one of them and clung onto its back. It shook its pelt, but she hung on fiercely. She bit down on his ear, until he yowled and begged for mercy. She got off, and watched him jump into the pond, swimming to the safety of Nightclan territory.

She growled in satisfaction that they were rid of one Nightclan cat. Then a heavy object rammed into her shoulder, pushing her to the ground. The cat pinned her down with a paw on either side, then lowered its head to bite Rainpaw's throat. Rainpaw struggled, but couldn't free herself.

"Shadepaw!" she yowled desperately for her beloved to save her. _Starclan, please don't let this be the end!_


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Nightclan warrior was a heartbeat away from killing me when a dark grey blur of fur rushed at it, bowling it over. Rainpaw flipped over and jumped onto her attacker. She held her paw high with claws extended, and then swung it at the cat's throat. It ripped through with a sickening noise that made Rainpaw shudder. She turned away from the dead warrior to Shadepaw, who had been her savior.

A sudden yowl made them look up. It was Rushstar, leading her warriors and apprentices into the battle. Nightclan took one look and fled to the log bridge. They crossed it rapidly and raced back to their own territory.

"Thank you for your help," said Birchstar to the Leopardclan leader. She nodded curtly, and then signaled with her tail for her warriors to leave. "May Starclan light your path!" Birchstar called after them.

"Silvershadow, is anyone badly hurt?" he asked the medicine cat.

"Pinetail's back leg was dislocated. I already put it back, but he's in a lot of pain. The sooner we get back to camp, the better."

"How are we going to get back?" asked Willowpaw, sounding frightened. "Are we going to travel through Nightclan's territory?"

"No, we will go with Leopardclan," replied Birchstar. "Rushstar! Wait!" the red colored cat turned to look at him. "May we travel with you?"

Rushstar nodded her head, "of course."

"Let's leave now," said Birchstar to his warriors. Rainpaw nudged Shadepaw to his paws.

"Are you alright?" he asked her worriedly.

"Just frightened. I never want to go through anything like that again. I didn't realize the battle would move so quickly!"

"Neither did I," he admitted, "but it's over now. Hopefully we can get back soon enough to change the border back."

"I forgot all about that!" she exclaimed. "Let's get back to the others!" they padded quickly to where the last of the Meadowclan group was getting off the log. They hurried onto it, gripping the log tightly with their claws. Then they jumped off to where Dawnwhisker was waiting for them.

"You're the last. Come on!" she said. They raced back to the others, going the opposite direction then they had come by to get to the gathering.

Leopardclan walked calmly back to their camp, but Meadowclan ran as fast as they could to arrive at home. They raced over the border with Leopardclan and kept running.

They hurled into the tunnel, their pawsteps pounding loudly in Rainpaw's ears. They burst into camp. Silvershadow and Willowpaw immediately went to their den and came back with herbs in their jaws.

"Any cat with injuries, over here please!" meowed Silvershadow. Birchstar went over to talk with Mosspelt, but the rest of the cats who went to the gathering made their way over to the medicine cat.

Rainpaw went over with Shadepaw and stood in the back of the line. Silvershadow and Willowpaw were busy with tasks. Silvershadow checked over any major wounds while her apprentice dealt with the smaller injuries.

"Are you alright?" Rainpaw asked Shadepaw.

"Yes… I was so worried when I saw that warrior on top of you. I thought he was going to kill you."

"Luckily you got there in time," replied Rainpaw, purring and rubbing her head along his flank. Reedclaw turned away from the medicine cats, with a strong smelling poultice covering his shoulder. Rainpaw stepped up to have Silvershadow look her over.

Silvershadow sniffed Rainpaw over thoroughly then looked closely at a deep scratch on her shoulder. "You are lucky. This is the only serious wound," she said. Silvershadow pawed away a couple of dark green leaves away from the pile at her paws and chewed them up.

Rainpaw screwed her nose up at the smell. Silvershadow laughed, "If you think they smell bad, wait until you feel them. It'll sting." The medicine cat spat out the herb and scooped it up with a paw. Rainpaw sucked in her breath with pain as she pressed them deep into the cut.

"Just don't lick it for the rest of the day. I'll check on it tomorrow," Silvershadow looked at Rainpaw sympathetically. Rainpaw stepped out of the way as Willowpaw came rushing out of the tunnel, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Look who came with me!" she said happily. Rainpaw looked past the golden she-cat to see Icetalon padding steadily towards her. "He's completely better!"

"Are you sure?" asked Silvershadow.

"Yep! See for yourself!" the medicine cat went over to Icetalon and sniffed him. She checked his legs and ran her paw over his spine.

"You're right! I didn't think he would make such a quick recovery!" she gave his ear a lick. "I guess you're free to go."

"Are you going to train with me now?" asked Rainpaw.

"I think so. Unless Silvershadow has any objection," he added, giving the silver she-cat a glance.

"Of course not," she replied.

"Then let's go see Birchstar!" said Rainpaw excitedly. She walked away from Shadepaw with her mentor and went over to their leader.

Birchstar was finished talking to Mosspelt. _I guess he told her about the gathering. _Mosspelt went over to Skycloud, Nightflower, Fernwind, and Cedarpaw. _They're probably going to check on the border. I hope there's no trouble!_

"Birchstar, Silvershadow says that Icetalon can train me again. Will you tell Mosspelt?" she asked.

"Sure. I'll tell the clan. A ceremony will do well for us right now," he replied. He jumped on top of the boulder and yowled, "All cats able to catch their own prey, gather here under the boulder for a clan meeting!"

Most of the clan had been seen to by Silvershadow, so they padded over to sit next to Rainpaw and Icetalon. Pinetail was the only cat who stayed inside Silvershadow's den.

"It is my great pleasure to announce that Icetalon has fully recovered and can continue to train Rainpaw," said Birchstar. The clan yowled and called their congratulations to Icetalon.

"For those of you who don't know what happened at the gathering, listen to me!" continued Birchstar, "Ashstar told us that he had changed the border while we were at the gathering, so we tried to leave. Nightclan stopped us from leaving the island, so we had to fight our way out. Lucky for us, Rushstar lead Leopardclan into the battle and we chased Nightclan away.

"Mosspelt has lead a patrol to put the border to it's rightful place. In the meantime, the battle at the island has showed us how we need to be battle ready incase Ashstar attacks us again.

"So we need to expand our training sessions and I will need a cat to supervise the protecting of our camp. I think that we should make a wall around the entrance of the cave, and check throughout the camp for other entrances. I know that there is a tunnel leading outside from the nursery for the queens to make dirt.

"We will need to close that up. Reedclaw, will you supervise the building of the wall outside the tunnel?"

Rainpaw's father nodded. "I will use the warriors not mentoring apprentices. Any cat we can spare should help."

"Good idea," said Birchstar, "Cedarpaw, you guard the tunnel for now. Nightflower will take your place at dawn." Cedarpaw stood up and went through the tunnel to take his place stationed right inside the tunnel.

"You should get some sleep. We will be training a lot tomorrow, so you will want to rest," suggested Icetalon. He looked towards the warrior den, "it's going to be nice sleeping in my nest again. Silvershadow's den is fine, but it's hard to sleep with the smell of herbs in my nose."

Rainpaw purred with amusement. She went over to where Shadepaw was sitting next to Mousetail. "Let's get some sleep," she said. Shadepaw got up and padded over to the apprentice den to their nests. _The den is so much more empty since Pinetail and Mousetail aren't in here any more._

Usually Cedarpaw slept between Shadepaw and Rainpaw due to sleeping arrangements. Because of their new relationship, Shadepaw dragged his nest over to Rainpaw's. They curled up close to each other, their noses touching.

"Wake up, Rainpaw!" a paw prodded her side. "We have to train!"

"What?" asked Rainpaw groggily.

"Icetalon and Nightflower are waiting for us! We have to go now!" repeated Shadepaw.

"What? Why didn't you say so! Let's go, or they'll have our tails off!" exclaimed Rainpaw, fully awake now. She got up and they bolted out of the den. Icetalon and Nightflower were waiting for them outside the tunnel.

"Glad you're up. We're going to be doing battle tactics. Let's go to the training clearing," said Icetalon as he greeted them.

"What happened with Mosspelt's patrol?" asked Rainpaw.

"Nothing much," replied Nightflower, "we changed the border, but there wasn't a battle. Their patrol must have left a while before we arrived. We remarked the border; that was it."

"Oh," said Rainpaw. She had been hoping for something more exciting.

"Can we go now?" asked Shadepaw.

"Sure," replied Nightflower. They scrambled into the tunnel and out into the bright sunlight. Rainpaw walked silently, thinking about the battle the night before.

_We can't let them take our territory!_ Rainpaw increased her speed, so that Shadepaw had to hasten to match her pace.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking. Nightclan shouldn't be allowed to expand their territory. Starclan decided where the borders should be. No warrior should have the power to change that."

Shadepaw nodded in agreement. "We have to show them we are just as powerful. That will prove to them that this is Meadowclan territory."

The cats arrived at the training clearing. "Alright," began Icetalon, "you two are coming along well. However, you can't just know fighting moves. You need to know how to think like your enemy."

Nightflower nodded, "so we're going to teach you how to defend yourself against the different clans. Each clan has their own ways of fighting. Can either of you two tell me how a Nightclan warrior fights?"

"Nightclan lives in a forest full of trees. So they're good at dodging things," replied Rainpaw.

"Correct," said Icetalon, "since we know they are good at dodging, what is a good way to attack them?"

"If they will dodge you any way you charge at them, shouldn't you let them make the first move?" suggested Shadepaw.

"Yes, that's a good way," commented Nightflower, "you can give them a few swipes with a paw, but not get too close to them. That agitates them, so they're sure to attack you."

"Usually they like to make their moves straight forward. There's nothing sneaky or tricky about battling Nightclan warriors," said Icetalon.

"What about Leopardclan?" asked Nightflower, "what way do they fight?"

Shadepaw answered this time, "Leopardclan is known for being swift. So you have to be faster than them."

"That's right, but it isn't very easy. Another way to get at them is to fake a move. Make it look like you're going to do one move, but instead do another. They will have already prepared themselves for your first move and won't have time to change their response move," said Icetalon.

Rainpaw spent the rest of the day training with Shadepaw. She felt definitely smarter than when she had woken up that morning. They padded back to camp and feasted in celebration of their hard work.

Rainpaw and Shadepaw shared tongues after their meal, and didn't pay attention to anyone else until Reedclaw padded up to them. "Fernwind wants to see you, Rainpaw," he meowed.

Rainpaw got up and followed her father as they padded into the nursery. Fernwind had already made herself a nest to prepare for her kits. "Yes, Fernwind?"

Fernwind waited until Reedclaw left the den to answer, "I wanted to talk to you." She beckoned for Rainpaw to come closer with her tail. "I wanted to talk to you about Shadepaw."

"Mother!"

"I just want you to know that you're still young. I don't want you to rush things with Shadepaw."

"There's nothing between me and Shadepaw," replied Rainpaw. But it was a lie. Her fur tingled as she spoke his name.

Fernwind nodded as if she knew what was going through Rainpaw's head. "Just remember that you have your whole life ahead of you. I don't want you to assume things before you think closely at them. Don't just push Cedarpaw aside because you have feelings for Shadepaw."

"But-"

Fernwind licked Rainpaw's ear, "please remember what I said." She lead Rainpaw out of the den just as Icetalon came in with freshkill in his jaws.

Rainpaw left the den and went back over to Shadepaw. "What did she want?" he asked.

_What do I say? Do I say that she doesn't think I should be in this relationship? Do I say that my mother doesn't approve? Do I say that I should spend more time with Cedarpaw?_ "Nothing," she replied.


End file.
